The new wave of NIL: Investing

And why more brands and athletes should be looking into this

Author

Tariq Ahmad
July 30, 2025

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The new wave of NIL: Investing

And why more athletes and brands should be looking into this

Investing graphic (Photo Credit: wealthbuilders.org)

Earlier this month, UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd and LSU women’s gymnastics star Livvy Dunne invested in Spindrift, a sparkling water brand that also boasts other athlete investors such as Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, DK Metcalf of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Sophie Cunningham of the Indiana Fever.

Fudd and Dunne join other college athletes that have invested in brands (and in turn, gain an ownership stake in companies in select cases) alongside:

  • Former USC and Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams (Faculty)

  • Former college basketball stars Haley & Hanna Cavinder (Slate Milk)

  • Former UConn basketball player & current Dallas Wings WNBA player Paige Bueckers (Unrivaled)

  • Anthony Alexander (an athlete I represent) has part-ownership and stock options in hydration brand Glow Beverages (which also sponsors Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.)

Why should student-athletes do this?

  • This can be very lucrative (for the right athlete & brand)

    • Athletes investing in a brand can prove to be a great financial investment for both sides. However, this is partially dependent on how much the brand grows and how much revenue is generated.

    • Sometimes, a combination of the right athlete (or athletes) and the right brand hitting its stride at the right time can prove beneficial for everyone involved.

  • Investing does not need to be a large dollar amount

    • While most student-athletes generally don’t have excess cash flow, investing small amounts of money into the right brands and companies using their NIL dollars earned can potentially turn into a steady revenue stream or cash influx for them.

    • I wouldn’t be surprised if additional brands begin to include ownership stakes as part of NIL deals. (Although this will be at very small scale.)

*None of this is financial advice, nor should be taken as such.

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